Les Asturiennes

Eating Out

Les Asturiennes -

By Lavin.


This is a pretty-looking Spanish restaurant, with a very arty website and modern-looking decoration that needs exploring.

Now, forget about Spanish omelette, chorizo, and high-price low-quality tapas. This is proper, modern Spanish cuisine. The octopus -which often tells you a lot about how attentive to detail a kitchen is- was perfectly cooked. The hake on a bed of spiky crab meat was so good that you could nearly hear the waves and the seagulls.

I liked the large portraits of Asturian women -on whose honour the restaurant is given its name-, the lounge-sounding music and the clean lines and light. I was not that impressed by the concrete ceiling from where old-looking chandeliers hang, but I am sure that the owner/interior decorator would disagree.

Much has been written about Spanish cuisine becoming so good that it is getting the French cooks worried. Well, it is indeniably better than 10 years ago, but it will not be me who will compare it with other cuisines.

Cuisines are all different, and you may find that you like both French and Spanish, or Italian, or British (yes, there is a British style of cooking, and it is very good), or Japanese or from anywhere in the planet.

Each of us will find whatever food they like in different places and styles, and the merits and demerits of each will be discussed and those who can will experiment and cook and compare. But I do not find much use in making leagues of cuisines, unless it is on grounds of quality.

Lastly, this restaurant is pricey, but by all means, try it out, because it is worth it.